Tuesday, July 15, 2014

B is for Bathroom

Our B word for today is bathrooms. I have written about bathrooms before, but it
is an issue that many parents of intersex children are concerned about, so a short review is in order.

There is no reason parents should be concerned about public
bathrooms. There are privacy walls around
the stalls (and in locker rooms, I changed this way all through high
school). There is no reason anyone has
to find out you are intersex from a public bathroom.

Sex segregated public toilets are required in all
jurisdictions using the Uniform Plumbing Code. The code does not ban additional unisex toilets, which are becoming more common. This is good news for intersex,
transgender and gender nonconforming people who are afraid or uncomfortable
in a public bathroom. Don’t sweat the
bathrooms, you have every right to be there. If you are uncomfortable for some reason, use the buddy system and bring a friend for protection.